Hello, everybody! After a successful three season run in its first year of existence, the need for a second Madden league here on CAG was proven to be true. Comprised mainly of players who felt they were still learning the game, the "JV League" was born.

Throughout those three seasons, members shared tips, discussed strategies, and helped each other improve their skills. When all was said and done, most of us felt that we had taken great strides in our understanding of the game, and weren't so overmatched against more experienced Madden players.

This year, I'd like to build off of that. While this will definitely still be a place for people who feel like they're still learning the game, the bigger emphasis will be on sportsmanship, communication, and sharing tips to help each other improve. In that spirit, I made a joke about changing the name from the "JV League" to the "Gentlemen's League", and ya know what...I'm going to run with it (however, choosing a stripper name that starts with the same letter as your team name to represent yourself is entirely optional, lol).

I'd like the league to be as self sustaining as possible: no nonsense, no constant reminders to play right, few warnings given, a non-negotiable expectation to keep up with the thread, being responsive to PM's, etc. And if people show any difficulty sticking to that, they're gone. What I'd like to avoid is the whole mentality of caring more about winning than caring about playing right. Also, having so and so's friend's, brother's, uncle who likes Madden, but has no idea what this thread is or even what CAG is can be a hinderance more often than not. If you want to be a part of the league, be a part of the league.

I've also been mulling a few settings changes in an effort to make the games as fair as possible. All of these things will be discussed in the thread though before anything is set in stone. So, definitely, anybody who thinks the Gentlemen's League would be a good fit for them, feel free to voice your interest, introduce yourself, weigh in on league policies, bounce around some ideas, etc. I'm excited about the growth that we could see this year, and look forward to us all enjoying some good, friendly, competitive, productive football together.

A lot of this SHOULD go without saying, but yeah...it's better to be specific. In general, the rule is "Play like a real NFL coach would". This means you don't go for 4th downs on your end of the field. This applies until you get to the point that you think "If I don't make something happen now, this game is over." If you're losing 28-0 in the 2nd quarter, and have a 4th and 8 at your 46 yard line...it's not unreasonable to feel like you're at that point.

The flip side of that, say you don't convert the 4th down, your opponent is free to play however he wants in the 1st half. If he scores to go up 35-0 at halftime, he can feel free to put it in cruise control and run out the rest of the game. He might throw on 3rd down to keep the chains moving, but he shouldn't be airing it out with that big of a lead. That's exactly how an NFL coach would play it. I've always said, if you have a lead in the 2nd half, your objective should be to get the game over with as quickly as possible. That's what happens on Sunday. Running up the score will not be tolerated.

Two Point Conversions

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Two point conversions should not be attempted unless you're in a situation where the 2 points would bring you to within one score or tie the game if you're losing, or would reasonably solidify a small lead if you're winning (ie. If you're up 47-42, there's no difference between a 5 point lead and a 6 point lead, so you might as well go for 2).

If you're in a situation at the end of the game where an extra point would tie it, but a 2 point conversion would win it...that's your call. I've seen NFL coaches go both ways with it. If your opponent's offense/defense has been hot all day and you're nervous about playing for overtime, it's your call. But if you're curious about scoring the first TD of the game and going for a 2 point conversion...yeah...not allowed.

Scrambling QBs

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Running with the QB is generally ok. But there are certain strategies where it is cheap. You shouldn't be calling 5 wide streaks just so you can pull the defenders deep and then immediately take off running with the QB. That's cheesy as hell and is basically trying to game the system. If you see your opponent dropping 8 men back into coverage, and there's just nowhere to throw the ball, of course, you can take off. The other issue is sprinting backward 20 yards with your QB out of the snap. That's also not a realistic example of a "running QB" (though I thought I read that QB drops were automatic this year...I haven't tested holding RT out of the snap in the demo to find out though). In general, the "play like a real NFL coach" rule applies here too.

Substitutions

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The only position that has any kind of subsititution limitation will be the QB. There was an issue last year with people using the hot swap method to sub QB's in and out without any warning to the opponent. This was basically done to use an accurate QB on passing plays and a fast QB for QB runs. This was quickly deemed as being a cheap tactic.

An argument was made of "Just pay attention to the QB's jersey number!", but what that doesn't account for is that in real life, the coach sees what personnel his opponent has on the field BEFORE making his play call. In Madden, you're left with audibling and trying to adjust individual coverage all before the ball is snapped.

The policy that was used was that you could only swap out a QB at the beginning of a drive, UNLESS you paused the game and sent your opponent a message saying "subbing QB". Since the game doesn't do any better of a job this year of notifying people of personnel changes before they pick their defensive play, I think we should continue with the same policy. This may seem like a hassle, but if it's such a vital part of your strategy to change out your QB in the middle of a drive, then you'll have to get used to it.

Wildcat formations are excluded from this rule since the game does show "Wildcat" when one of those plays is selected.

Moving Players to Different Positions

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Offense in Madden can be very overpowered at times, and there are numerous "go to" plays and positions that are extremely difficult to defend. In an effort to curb this a bit, it will not be allowed to move an offensive player out of his natural position on the depth chart. This includes putting RBs at WR, TEs at WR, WRs at TE, etc. In addition to the potential mismatches this would create, the main reason this policy is necessary is because the game continues to recognize the players' natural position, rather than where he's being lined up. What this gives you is 1 WR, 2 TE, 2 RB "formations" which give the appearance of a running play...but end up essentially being 4 WR shotgun plays. Such gimmicks are very deceptive and not in the spirit of this league.

Having RBs/TEs above any WR at the WR position on your depth chart will not be allowed. I am willing to concede that due to injury or whatever, RBs/TEs may need to fill in at the bottom of the depth chart. However, this is not an excuse to carry only 3 WRs. It will be pretty obvious if someone is trying to abuse this policy.

As for moving players around on defense, this is completely allowed, as the consequences generally don't have the potential to impact the game as severely. If you want to play a LB at DE, that's fine. Or a CB at FS. The advantages to be gained on defense are not nearly as severe as moving offensive players around.

Onside Kicks

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Leave it to EA to make a feature MORE complicated. In years past, when your opponent selected an onside kick, the game would show "onside kick" as their play choice, giving you a heads up, and allowing you to select "onside recover" to be ready for it. This year, the game just says "kickoff" no matter what type of kick they have chosen. What this is going to lead to is people coming out in a regular kick return formation and being surprised to see that their opponent is in fact going for an onside kick. If this happens, you can either burn a timeout or audible to a regular kick return. If you're the kicking team, and you see your opponent is not ready for an onside kick, give them a chance to audible. Rushing onside kicks because you "caught somebody by surprise" will not be tolerated.

Furthermore, you should ONLY be attempting an onside kick if you're losing in the 4th quarter anyway. Yes, some coaches may try it at the start of the 2nd half or whatever, but even in real life that comes off a dick move...and considering the issues Madden 13 has with them, I think we should just save it for the end of the game.

Squib Kicks

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Again, something that EA programmed poorly. Due to the way the AI reacts to squib kicks, it makes it unrealistically easy for the kicking team to recover them. There are only a few instances with a squib kick should be used to begin with (ie. end of the half with little time left). You are only allowed to attempt a squib kick at those times, and you are required to kick it straight down the middle of the field. If for some strange reason, the kicking team does recover the kick, they are REQUIRED to punt the ball out of the end zone on the next play. The only exception to this is if the receiving team recovers it and then fumbles trying to return it. But nobody should be attempting a squib kick with the intention of recovering it. This is completely unrealistic.

Sportsmanship

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Another thing I want to add, NO SHOWBOATING. This is the Gentlemen's League afterall. Have respect for your opponent and act like you've been there before. Yes, it might be cool to flip into the endzone and see all the cool little animations, but save it for offline. In a friendly league where people just want to have a good time, rubbing in the fact that you scored on somebody just isn't cool and just causes tension.

Disconnects

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EA's servers are often unreliable, and there are times when two users just can't complete a game to save their life. Completely ignoring this issue, EA decided that any game that disconnects in the 2nd half should be arbitrarily decided based on whose "fault" the disconnect was. Considering the monumental effect that could have on division races, playoffs, and God forbid, the Super Bowl, we will do everything possible to circumvent their terrible system.

If a game you're playing disconnects in the 2nd half, DO NOT exit out of the game. Put your controller down and post in this thread immediately letting everyone know what the score and situation was when the game dropped. Whose "fault" the disconnect was and whether or not the outcome of the game was essentially decided will determine how to proceed.

It won't be a perfect science, but in general, people know if there was any chance for a comeback. The losing team should definitely have a say in the matter, but it will ultimately be up to the community to make a ruling. Disconnects are extremely unfortunate when they happen, but we'll just have to try to handle them the best we can.

This will be the criteria for disconnected games

* Game disconnects in the 1st half regardless of who's at fault = Restart (game does this automatically, just quit out and restart/reschedule)

* Game disconnects in the 2nd half of a close game regardless of who's at fault = Restart (Player that is left in the game should immediately press the Xbox Guide button, and press "Y" to exit to the dashboard. DO NOT choose "Quit and Count Game" in Madden)

* Game disconnects in the 2nd half of a decided game and the winning team is at fault = Restart (Player that is left in the game should immediately press the Xbox Guide button, and press "Y" to exit to the dashboard. DO NOT choose "Quit and Count Game" in Madden)

* Game disconnects in the 2nd half of a decided game and the losing team is at fault = Quit and Count Game (no reason to replay the game if no chance of a comeback was possible anyway.

Big Lead in the 4th Quarter

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Closing out games the right way seems to be a difficult thing to interpret for people in Madden This is kind of where an "enforced logic" comes in. I feel like we have to restrict a lot of stuff so people don't "play like a video game", and actually use football logic. In real life, the reason for running the ball is to chew clock. Coaches don't risk a pass because it could either A) lead to a turnover or B) result in an incompletion which stops the clock. If you're up by 21 in the 4th quarter, you should be trying to do everything you can to keep that clock moving....and at that point, punting isn't the worst thing in the world should it happen.

I don't know why a lot of people seem to have trouble grasping it, but if you kill some clock with a 21 point lead in the 4th, and are forced to punt...and then your opponent comes down the field and scores a TD to cut your lead to 14...start running your offense again. The idea of chewing the clock doesn't mean that you have to let your opponent come back and tie the game or something.

Obviously, it starts to become a gray area, but to me, a comfortable lead is 3 scores. Two scores can happen pretty quickly (TD + onside kick). So, to me it wouldn't be reasonable to get upset at somebody for throwing the ball (on any down) with a 2 score lead. I guess the idea there is that you're still trying to score to put the game away. And with a 3 score lead...you're trying to preserve the lead and get the game over with (not saying you can't do that with less than a 3 score lead...you've just got a much smaller margin for error).

And as always...in the 3rd quarter, there is no expectation. The variable factor here is time. If there's time to come back, you should keep playing your game. But once you get to a comfortable spot in the 4th quarter where you can whittle down the clock and dictate the end of the game, that's all you should be trying to do.

Games Against the CPU

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There will be times during this franchise that you will have to play the CPU. Whether it's because that team is currently without an owner or the owner is just unavailable to play, these games should be approached in the same manner as games against a human opponent. General expectations are that CPU games are "easy wins". It is also acknowledged that CPU teams do not manage the clock well and will frequently turn the ball over when they are behind. Of course, you can run your offense and play the game normally. But once the 4th quarter begins, if you have more than a 2 score lead, you should be running the ball and chewing up clock. If you are a running team, you should also strongly consider bringing in your backups to not only avoid accusation...but injury as well. Running up the score and mining XP for your players will not be tolerated and anyone discovered to be doing so will receive a strike.

Advancement

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My goal is advance the league every 4 days. Games take about 45 minutes to play, so hopefully playing once every 4 days won't be too demanding for anyone. This year, however, in addition to playing your games, you'll also have other activities that you can do. You can practice with your team, scout college players, add XP to your players, and even spend time seeing who's on the trade block and reading the latest league news. EA has added two features this year that will hopefully make advancing a smoother process. The first is allowing each person to mark when they're ready to advance. After you've played your game for the week and have completed all the team activities you wish to complete, please mark that you're ready to advance. This won't prevent us from advancing once we've reached a deadline, but if there was ever a week where everybody finished early, it would be great to be able to see that everyone is ready to move forward. The other feature is the ability to put your team on autopilot. If you're ever going to be away for a vacation or something, definitely post in the thread to let everyone know, but you won't have to vacate your team like was necessary last year. You can just put them on autopilot and retake control when you return.

Free Agency

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In the first season, no team will be allowed to sign a free agent until we reach the designated period (most likely Week 4). At that time, we will use a draft style system according to team record (worst to best), allowing each team to sign one free agent. After the first season, the game should handle free agency in a bidding format where multiple teams can negotiate with players at the same time. So, hopefully at that point a draft system will no longer be needed.

*All teams must carry 53 players on their roster during the regular season.

Contract Length

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When signing free agents during the season, it's a very simple process. You only can only give them what they are asking for. They all want one year contracts for a set amount of money. You offer it to them, and they're yours. In the offseason, however, multiple teams can negotiate with free agents, offering varying contract lengths and dollar amounts. In this interest of keeping this league as fair and realistic as possible, we have two policies for contract offers.

1. When negotiating with your own free agents (ie. players who are currently on your team), you may offer them any length of contract for any dollar amount that you wish. It's YOUR job to make sure that the deal makes sense and doesn't bankrupt your team.

2. Once players hit the open market, you may not offer a free agent a longer contract than what he is asking for. You can offer less years than what he is asking for, but not more. You may offer any dollar amount you wish though.

For example - If a player is requesting a 5 year contract, you MAY offer him anywhere between 1-5 years...for any dollar amount. You MAY NOT, however, offer him a six or seven year contract.

Restructuring Contracts

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Unfortunately, Madden doesn't have realistic contract restructuring. However, what people have discovered is that you can cut a player, and then immediately resign him without any negotiating or resistence of any kind. The problem that this creates is that it allows people to acquire or hold onto star players without paying them the actual salary that they would command on the open market.

As such, this practice is not allowed. If you wish to "restructure" a player's contract, you may cut him...but you may not resign him for 2 weeks of in game time, during which, any other team is free to sign him. This will serve as a "waiver period" and will ensure that all teams are handling their finances and free agent acquisitions as realistically as possible.

Trades

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Trading in the league is encouraged. Trades with CPU teams are not allowed. All trades must still make sense and will be reviewed by a five man trade committee to make sure they seem fair. Committee members may not vote on their own trades or the trades of any of their family members, and an alternate will be used in those instances. We all understand that a team's finances must be taken into account this year. Trades may not always be about skill for skill anymore, and unloading a big contract in an effort to clear cap space is a valid reason to do a trade. Each trade is different and needs to be viewed on its own merit. If you have discussed a trade with another owner and have come to an agreement, please PM the trade proposal to CAGLeagueSports. Trades should be posted in the following format and include the relevant attributes depending on the position of the players involved. When trading for draft picks, please list both the round and overall pick number (if known...such as: 2nd round/57th pick).

Trade FormatTeam Name Sends

Player NamePositionAgeOverall RatingContract Info: total years, years remaining, salary for each remaining year (ie. 2013: $X.XM, 2014: $X.XXM, etc), signing bonus Relevant Attributes For Position

Team Cap Space

For

Team Name Sends

Player NamePositionAgeOverall RatingContract Info: total years, years remaining, salary for each remaining year (ie: 2013: $X.XM, 2014: $X.XXM, etc), signing bonusRelevant Attributes For Position

We will following the official NFL trading deadline this year, which typically is after Week 8.

The only other restriction on trading is that any player that is newly acquired by a team must be on his new team for 6 weeks before being eligible to be moved again. This applies to both players acquired through trades and via free agency.

*All teams must carry 53 players on their roster during the regular season.

Communication

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The only way this league can be successful is by everyone working together and staying active. It is the responsibility of every member to keep up with the thread and to contact their opponent to arrange a time to play. While people may have different ways of being reached, the league's preferred method of contact is through private message on this website. If you've messaged your opponent and haven't heard anything in a day or two, post in the thread and let me know. Good communication is essential to avoiding problems and solving any that may arise.

Strike Policy

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Anyone who does something that is against league policy as stated in the OP, or does something that is deemed excessively dickish will receive a strike. Punishment will begin after the second strike and will double with each offence. Punishment will be as follows:

Basically, you get one freebie and after that, you have to pay the piper. The consequences may seem stiff, but I firmly believe that it is not that difficult to play the game with respect and decency. If it's something you have to actively think about, then you might want to re-evaluate some things.

*Commissioner reserves the right to immediately ban any player who goes out of his way to cause trouble and undermine the enjoyment of the league.

League News

9/4/12 - Disconnect Issue and League Policy

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Disconnects

EA's servers are often unreliable, and there are times when two users just can't complete a game to save their life. Completely ignoring this issue, EA decided that any game that disconnects in the 2nd half should be arbitrarily decided based on whose "fault" the disconnect was. Considering the monumental effect that could have on division races, playoffs, and God forbid, the Super Bowl, we will do everything possible to circumvent their terrible system.

If a game you're playing disconnects in the 2nd half, DO NOT exit out of the game. Put your controller down and post in this thread immediately letting everyone know what the score and situation was when the game dropped. Whose "fault" the disconnect was and whether or not the outcome of the game was essentially decided will determine how to proceed.

It won't be a perfect science, but in general, people know if there was any chance for a comeback. The losing team should definitely have a say in the matter, but it will ultimately be up to the community to make a ruling. Disconnects are extremely unfortunate when they happen, but we'll just have to try to handle them the best we can.

This will be the criteria for disconnected games

* Game disconnects in the 1st half regardless of who's at fault = Restart (game does this automatically, just quit out and restart/reschedule)

* Game disconnects in the 2nd half of a close game regardless of who's at fault = Restart (Player that is left in the game should immediately press the Xbox Guide button, and press "Y" to exit to the dashboard. DO NOT choose "Quit and Count Game" in Madden)

* Game disconnects in the 2nd half of a decided game and the winning team is at fault = Restart (Player that is left in the game should immediately press the Xbox Guide button, and press "Y" to exit to the dashboard. DO NOT choose "Quit and Count Game" in Madden)

* Game disconnects in the 2nd half of a decided game and the losing team is at fault = Quit and Count Game (no reason to replay the game if no chance of a comeback was possible anyway

8/28/12 - Launch Day! Proposed Settings and Rules

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Happy launch day, everybody! For those who did not get a sneak peek at Madden 13 with EA Season Ticket, hopefully you guys will get to sink your teeth into the game very soon. As we prepare for the start of the league, we need to solidify our desired settings and make sure everyone understands the basic rules and policies here. You're all responsible for being aware of these, and if there's something you'd like to add, please feel free to speak up.

League Settings

Skill Level: All-Pro (preferably with some slider tuning. I just obliterated the Patriots last night 35-3 with my Titans, gaining 300 yards on the ground with CJ. So, I really feel like we could tweak this a bit)Quarter Length: 5 minutesAccelerated Clock: OffMinimum Play Clock: OffGame Speed: NormalPlayer Progression Frequency: Every Four WeeksCoach Firing: Off (I know we talked about how it would be "neat" to switch teams. But I just feel like there are too many variables that could screw things up and cause someone to lose their progress. I feel like it's better safe than sorry on this one)Game Play Tuning: Yes (allows us to adjust sliders)Injury: On (I actually haven't seen that many injuries from the games I've played so far, so I feel better about this one)Pre-existing Injuries: Off (I don't think it's fair for people to start their franchise with players on the shelf...no matter how "realistic" we're trying to be)Trade Deadline: OnTrade Type: Enable AllStrategy Pad Quick Links: OnStrategy Pad Display: OffAuto Strafe: OffAuto Sprint: OffPre-Snap Menu: OffCoaching Tips: OffPlayer Names: OnFill Roster: Off (meaning CPU won't sign players to fill your roster)Re-Sign Players: Off (meaning CPU won't re-sign players for you)Progress Players: Off (meaning CPU won't assign XP points for you)Sign Offseason Free Agents: Off (meaning CPU won't sign free agents for you)

A lot of this SHOULD go without saying, but yeah...it's better to be specific. In general, the rule is "Play like a real NFL coach would". This means you don't go for 4th downs on your end of the field. This applies until you get to the point that you think "If I don't make something happen now, this game is over." If you're losing 28-0 in the 2nd quarter, and have a 4th and 8 at your 46 yard line...it's not unreasonable to feel like you're at that point.

The flip side of that, say you don't convert the 4th down, your opponent is free to play however he wants in the 1st half. If he scores to go up 35-0 at halftime, he can feel free to put it in cruise control and run out the rest of the game. He might throw on 3rd down to keep the chains moving, but he shouldn't be airing it out with that big of a lead. That's exactly how an NFL coach would play it. I've always said, if you have a lead in the 2nd half, your objective should be to get the game over with as quickly as possible. That's what happens on Sunday. Running up the score will not be tolerated.

Two Point Conversions

Two point conversions should not be attempted unless you're in a situation where the 2 points would bring you to within one score or tie the game if you're losing, or would reasonably solidify a small lead if you're winning (ie. If you're up 47-42, there's no difference between a 5 point lead and a 6 point lead, so you might as well go for 2).

If you're in a situation at the end of the game where an extra point would tie it, but a 2 point conversion would win it...that's your call. I've seen NFL coaches go both ways with it. If your opponent's offense/defense has been hot all day and you're nervous about playing for overtime, it's your call. But if you're curious about scoring the first TD of the game and going for a 2 point conversion...yeah...not allowed.

Scrambling QBs

Running with the QB is generally ok. But there are certain strategies where it is cheap. You shouldn't be calling 5 wide streaks just so you can pull the defenders deep and then immediately take off running with the QB. That's cheesy as hell and is basically trying to game the system. If you see your opponent dropping 8 men back into coverage, and there's just nowhere to throw the ball, of course, you can take off. The other issue is sprinting backward 20 yards with your QB out of the snap. That's also not a realistic example of a "running QB" (though I thought I read that QB drops were automatic this year...I haven't tested holding RT out of the snap in the demo to find out though). In general, the "play like a real NFL coach" rule applies here too.

Onside Kicks

Leave it to EA to make a feature MORE complicated. In years past, when your opponent selected an onside kick, the game would show "onside kick" as their play choice, giving you a heads up, and allowing you to select "onside recover" to be ready for it. This year, the game just says "kickoff" no matter what type of kick they have chosen. What this is going to lead to is people coming out in a regular kick return formation and being surprised to see that their opponent is in fact going for an onside kick. If this happens, you can either burn a timeout or audible to a regular kick return. If you're the kicking team, and you see your opponent is not ready for an onside kick, give them a chance to audible. Rushing onside kicks because you "caught somebody by surprise" will not be tolerated.

Furthermore, you should ONLY be attempting an onside kick if you're losing in the 4th quarter anyway. Yes, some coaches may try it at the start of the 2nd half or whatever, but even in real life that comes off a dick move...and considering the issues Madden 13 has with them, I think we should just save it for the end of the game.

Sportsmanship

Another thing I want to add, NO SHOWBOATING. This is the Gentlemen's League afterall. Have respect for your opponent and act like you've been there before. Yes, it might be cool to flip into the endzone and see all the cool little animations, but save it for offline. In a friendly league where people just want to have a good time, rubbing in the fact that you scored on somebody just isn't cool and just causes tension.

Advancement

My goal is advance the league every 4 days. Games take about 45 minutes to play, so hopefully playing once every 4 days won't be too demanding for anyone. This year, however, in addition to playing your games, you'll also have other activities that you can do. You can practice with your team, scout college players, add XP to your players, and even spend time seeing who's on the trade block and reading the latest league news. EA has added two features this year that will hopefully make advancing a smoother process. The first is allowing each person to mark when they're ready to advance. After you've played your game for the week and have completed all the team activities you wish to complete, please mark that you're ready to advance. This won't prevent us from advancing once we've reached a deadline, but if there was ever a week where everybody finished early, it would be great to be able to see that everyone is ready to move forward. The other feature is the ability to put your team on autopilot. If you're ever going to be away for a vacation or something, definitely post in the thread to let everyone know, but you won't have to vacate your team like was necessary last year. You can just put them on autopilot and retake control when you return.

Free Agency

In the first season, no team will be allowed to sign a free agent until we reach the designated period (most likely Week 4). At that time, we will use a draft style system according to team record (worst to best), allowing each team to sign one free agent. After the first season, the game should handle free agency in a bidding format where multiple teams can negotiate with players at the same time. So, hopefully at that point a draft system will no longer be needed.

Trades

Trading in the league is encouraged, and we're even allowing trading with CPU teams this year. All trades must still make sense and be reviewed by the league to make sure they seem fair (though if trading with a CPU team, they still may not like your offer). We all understand that a team's finances must be taken into account this year. Trades may not always be about skill for skill anymore, and unloading a big contract in an effort to clear cap space is a valid reason to do a trade. Each trade is different and needs to be viewed on its own merit. If you have discussed a trade with another owner and have come to an agreement, post the trade proposal in the thread, citing all player names, positions, ages, overall ratings, and contracts. We will following the official NFL trading deadline this year, which typically is after Week 6.

Communication

The only way this league can be successful is by everyone working together and staying active. It is the responsibility of every member to keep up with the thread and to contact their opponent to arrange a time to play. While people may have different ways of being reached, the league's preferred method of contact is through private message on this website. If you've messaged your opponent and haven't heard anything in a day or two, post in the thread and let me know. Good communication is essential to avoiding problems and solving any that may arise.

8/24/12 - CAG League Sports: Madden 13 Gentlemen's League Team Selection Order

The criteria for team selection order will be based on seniority and commitment, and will break down as follows:

1. Veteran and only playing in this league (can keep their team or select new one)2. New player only playing in this league.3. Veteran playing in both leagues.4. New player playing in both leagues.

The reasoning behind this is that it's only fair to allow people who are ONLY playing here to have first crack at selecting a team. Selection order within these categories will be decided based on a random draft order generator.

Members

Team | CAG Name (click to send private message) | XBL Gamertag | Time Zone | AvailabilityAny team listed as *OPEN* may be taken by a new member

AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills X | GpNinja | GpNinja | CST | I can play from about 5pm to midnight Except Wend,Thursday,Saturdays
Miami Dolphins | Matt Young | X Matt Young X | PST | ???
New England Patriots | AllenScribe | XboxChromosome | CST | Generally on around 7 p.m. through the week, and all weekend. Pretty flexible with hours as I work from home most days
New York Jets | dr0ppinL0adz | Z stepano Z | CST | Weekday Evenings (except when NFL is on Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football) / Saturday Afternoons

Awesome! Good to see some new guys in here. neworlbush25, yeah, I remember you from the Madden league a few years back. I had the Saints in this league last year, but I'm considering switching teams. Since I finally began to grasp the running game in Madden, I'd like to play as the Titans (since they're my home team now), but I'm nervous to see what EA did to Chris Johnson's ratings after last season.

You know I'm in. After thinking it over, I think I may hold off on playing in the other league for now. I'm gonna be a bit busier than usual in September/October and this league's advancement schedule fits me better anyways. Hopefully some of the ol' boys come back. The 3rd season last year was a bit of a downer, and that's not just because I didn't bring home the trophy.

All right, lol. I hope the other league figures out their spots fairly soon because I'm starting to go cross eyed from the people who are essentially signing up for both. I completely understand people just wanting to make sure they have a place to play. That's why I wanted to get this thread going to offer people a chance to solidify their spot as a "Veteran" in this league.

The other league already has what...21 spots off the board (possibly with teams like the Packers, Patriots, Ravens, Lions, Bears, Giants, Panthers, 49ers, etc. already taken). In all honesty, BV, Uber, and fero could probably declare that league "full" today if they really wanted to. But telling people there are no spots over a month before the game is out probably feels weird. Their lottery system is fair, but it also leaves the possibility that a new person with one entry could gain a spot over an established player with four entries...I do not envy their position, lol.

Over here, we don't have as many established players, and have more room to grow than they do. It's a great opportunity for people to say "Ok, this is MY league." I guess it just depends on how you feel about the competition, or the stigma that you'd be playing in a "lesser" league. But my hope is that we can work together so it's not viewed that way. I promise you all, I'll do my best to make the experience here better than it was last year. And I'm hoping getting an early start will help us with that.

pitfall: I saw your post in the other league about possibly having an automatic spot. I haven't compared the timestamps, but are you forgoing that and deciding to just roll with us here?

DVO: Craziness, man, lol. I saw your post, your PMs, and then your post about getting deployed. I appreciate your willingness to help out with league functions, and I'll probably take you up on it from time to time. But for now, it seems like you've got a lot on your plate, man. But I'm glad to have you here.

Your commitment would allow you to keep Dallas if you choose. I haven't decided how I would handle veteran members who want to switch teams...in relation to new members choosing a team. I'm probably going to be one of those people as well. As much as I just want the team I want, I want to try to be fair to everyone too, ya know. We'll figure it out.

As for everybody else, if you want this to be YOUR league, feel free to sign up. I'll start piecing together a member list based on the commitments we have, and we'll figure out teams from there (league vets, feel free to specify if you want to keep your team or not). Thanks, everybody!

sounds good bro well if possible i would like to change teams if i can i would like the lions instead of cowboys but if not the lions then would also love to have the bengals. but if i have to be the cowboys i will but would enjoy trying out a new team this year if possible great to know i have a spot for sure though.

was also curious to know how the trade cap would work this year if there was any clue on that and also if we were going to have ours if it is the same have more caps room like the offical just curious

Awesome! Glad to have both of you back. I started adding people to the member list just based on people who have said that they plan on only playing in this league. I know lyric mentioned it in the old thread, but I at least want people to check in here in case anything has changed. Hopefully we'll start seeing more guys pop in as we get closer to launch (you'd think a demo should be coming pretty soon...I know the NCAA 13 demo was released really early this year).

For teams, we'll get it figured out. I feel like veteran members should get some kind of seniority even for switching teams. Of course, it's going to depend on who comes back too. For instance, if Blade3D comes back...and wants the Lions, he would get to keep them. We've got time for that though, so no rush there.

As for the trade cap...I don't know, I'm open to opinions again. I kind of thought it was at a decent level, but if most people feel that we should increase it, we can explore that. As usual, majority will rule.

There will be other potential changes to discuss as well, but I'd like to wait until more people get signed up before we delve in too deep.

xbl dvo21 cag dvo21 cst time zone open to play monday- thrus 6 p.m till 9 p.m
friday 6 p.m till midnight saturday-sunday whenever usually works until about midnight. deploying at the the start of september for a short 2 or 3 weeks will be back asap. also still thinking of my stripper name

Updated the OP to reflect people who are waiting to find out how things are going to shake out with the other league. I'm sure we'll get a clearer picture as we get closer to launch and interest begins to pick up. Really, I expect more people to start popping in once the demo drops.

N8 I'm not in the other league I cant join since I will be gone in the start just on the waiting list if when I return there is a spot but I doubt there will be. I'm in this league for sure.

Sorry. I saw this post from a few days ago, and it seemed a bit non-committal.

if theres a spot for me i will take it but i will be gone for 3 weeks in early september. so right when the game comes out so if theres not room i guess right to the list of waiting for me when im back hope im one of the top guys on the waiting list

I'm not trying to limit people. But again, to be clear, at this point I'm only counting people who are not trying to play in the other league. Will there be room for people to play in both leagues? Probably. But this early on, I'm just trying to account for people who aren't vying for a spot in the other league. It'll clear up once the spots in that league are figured out. But for now, this is easier than inflating our numbers with people who anticipate playing in both.

After realizing how jam packed (and hardcore) the other league is I'd like to put my name in the hat and if a spot is open, I'd love to join this league. Seems like a better fit with my schedule and play type anyhow, so what say, you?

Played in the first season of the Madden '12[?] league and half of the second season before bowing out due to time limitations. My memory is horrible since my son was born and I honestly can't recall if it was the '11 or '12 league I played in.

ok sounds good N8 i will just drop the other league and make this one my for sure league then i rather be in a league where i can actually get some wins in the other league raped me last year. and since this league doesnt have guys like doom deuce sprice in it i might have an actual chance at a super bowl here so just count me as a gentlemens league only guy. my stripper name will be diasy lol

After realizing how jam packed (and hardcore) the other league is I'd like to put my name in the hat and if a spot is open, I'd love to join this league. Seems like a better fit with my schedule and play type anyhow, so what say, you?

Played in the first season of the Madden '12[?] league and half of the second season before bowing out due to time limitations.

Hey, wherever you think you'd be a good fit, man. It's up to you. I'm just trying to avoid having a bunch of people sign up and then finding out they got a spot in the other league and going "Oh, nevermind. I'm playing over there. Sorry!" You see, I'm a needy bitch, and I need a commitment from my mens, lol.

But seriously, if you're ready to lock in your spot over here, we'd be happy to have you. Oh, I found this statement particularly amusing as well.

My memory is horrible since my son was born and I honestly can't recall if it was the '11 or '12 league I played in.

I've got an 8 month old daughter, and I've been saying this exact same thing since she was born. My memory and attention to detail has just been obliterated. So, expect lots of typos and whatnot as the league progresses! lol

ok sounds good N8 i will just drop the other league and make this one my for sure league then i rather be in a league where i can actually get some wins in the other league raped me last year. and since this league doesnt have guys like doom deuce sprice in it i might have an actual chance at a super bowl here so just count me as a gentlemens league only guy. my stripper name will be diasy lol

Haha, all right, man. Sounds good. I know it's a big commitment, but we will grow this league. I have no intention of rivaling the official league, but hopefully we can carve out our own niche. Competing over there is definitely an incredible challenge considering the select few who have actually won titles. Looking forward to getting my hands on the demo soon!

Well, it looks like the other league will be figuring out its spots pretty soon. Based on the numbers they have over there, they might not even have to do a lottery. If that's true, we'll probably have a fair number of spots over here for people who want to play in both leagues.

HOWEVER, I do still want to give team priority to people who are only playing in this league. And my opinion is that it would be fair for that to even include league veterans. I don't know how everyone will feel about that, but what I want to avoid is people who view this as a "secondary league" locking up top team preferences. I feel like people who are only playing over here have more of a right to those good teams. So, that would make the team selection order look something like this:

1. Veteran and only playing in this league (can keep their team or select new one)
2. New player only playing in this league.
3. Veteran playing in both leagues.
4. New player playing in both leagues.

In my opinion, that's the most fair way to do things. For any category that has multiple members, the selection order will be randomly decided. Thoughts?

BEEN THINKING AND IM GOING TO JUST STICK WITH THE COWBOYS THIS YEAR. MAYBE GET AMERICAS TEAM THERE 6TH SUPERBOWL WIN. lol

also been looking at the new verision of onlnie franchise aka connected careers looks like running a league is going to be alot harder and looks like there might be alot of this to talk about this year with acutal contracts and salary caps its going to be rough. unless we dont use there cap style that is if u can even make it so u dotn have to use cap so we can run our own system. also wonderign what happens if ur team fires u as the coach would that result u in getting removed from the league. im hoping EA sports thought everything thru with all this new stuff. it could ruin a league if people as coachs got fired and couldnt remain in the there leagues

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